Open Secrets
by Firestorm
Summary: Yugi and Yami are on a quest to discover more about Yami's past. But they may encounter more than they expected.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own no parts to the characters of Yu-Gi-Oh! And I have no association of the design nor the distribution of the anime itself. I will also state that these characters may or may not be out of character. I am basing their personality and style off the dubbed, and not the subbed version of the anime. I will attempt to get facts right, but may misinterpret a particular scene or more.

I may or may not have my own characters from my published book The Warriors: The Beginning in this story, but I will assure you that the cast of Yu-Gi-Oh will not be undermined.

This story will not contain Yaoi or Yuri. There may or may not be heterosexual pairings.

With that stated, let the story begin.

**Open Secrets**

Chapter 1.

Yugi Motou was not sure what he was getting himself into as he fastened the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. Every thing that had happened in the past few years of finding the puzzle had caused a change within him.

It wasn't the alteration he had with the spirit of the puzzle. Although it was Yami who had taught Yugi to have confidence in himself, Yugi had matured in both spirit and mind.

But now he had other concerns. There was an exam he had to take for his science class, and he certainly did not want to fail.

He gave himself one final look in his mirror and was satisfied. Grabbing his backpack, he made a final check inside for his materials. Everything was there, including last night's homework for World History.

Yugi smiled as he closed his backpack and put it over his shoulders. He left his bedroom and went down to the kitchen.

Grandpa Motou was already seated at the table. There was a bagel with cream cheese on a saucer plate and a cup of coffee on the table. A newspaper was held between his hands.

Yugi set his backpack on a vacant chair and turned to get breakfast. "Good morning, Grandpa!" he chirped as he took out a box of cereal. Cereal would be a good breakfast as it would give him energy and help him to focus for the day.

"Good morning, Yugi," Grandpa greeted as he set the newspaper down. "Did you sleep well?"

"I sure did!" Yugi stated enthusiastically as he sat down to eat. In fact, he couldn't remember a better night's sleep than the night before. He remembered completing last night's homework and studying for the science test. The homework he had for World History had centered on Ancient Egypt, and Yami had helped him. Yugi had finished his school work, and after checking his homework, he had fallen asleep and slept like a newborn baby.

Yugi smiled as he took a bite of rice crispes and chewed thoughtfully. He could not wait to get to World History. The teacher, whom he could have cared less about, would be shocked to learn that Yugi wasn't as dense as he had assumed.

"And how is the Pharaoh?" Grandpa asked as he finally took a bite of his bagel.

"Well, he still feels troubled that he doesn't remember much about himself from his time as Pharaoh," Yugi told him as he ate. "He knows he saved the world five thousand years ago by locking the magic away, and he remembers he was Pharaoh. But he doesn't remember how he behaved as king of Egypt."

"In other words," Grandpa put in, "he doesn't know himself as an individual."

Yugi paused as he considered and nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it."

Grandpa finished off his bagel and took a drink of his coffee. He was silent as he studied the newspaper before his eyes and pondered. Could it be that what he had read just might help the Pharaoh? It was a long shot, but he wanted to help in any way possible. And by helping Yami he was helping Yugi.

"Well, there may be a way to help him," Grandpa stated as he caught Yugi's undivided attention. "According to the news, a new museum has opened in San Francisco, California."

This sparked Yugi's curiosity as he paused in his eating to listen to his grandfather more fully. "What type of museum?" he asked eagerly.

"It is a museum of culture and individuality," Grandpa stated. "Which is why I think you and the Pharaoh should check it out. If anything I'll pay for your trip, Yugi."

"That's great!" Yugi was ecstatic. It wasn't often he got to go on trips. He did go to Egypt once before to help Yami find his lost memories, but even that wasn't enough. And if it were up to Yugi, he would just forget school and go now.

"However," Grandpa suddenly put in, "we can talk more about it when you come home from school." He looked toward the clock and casually gestured to it. Yugi took one look, and it was enough to get him to move quicker than he had been. He quickly downed his cereal and milk, and deposited the bowl, spoon, and glass into the sink. He snatched up his backpack and raced for the door.

"Gotta go, Grandpa!" Yugi shouted as he pulled open the door. "See you later!"

"Kids," Grandpa mused, "always running."

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Yugi ran as fast as he could through the busy town of Domino. He quickly glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. "I'll never make it in time!" he cried. He cursed his small stature as he raced toward the corner. The Don't Walk signal was still on, but as Yugi ran toward it, the signal changed to Walk.

He increased his speed and stepped out into the street, just as a speeding vehicle headed his way.

"YUGI, LOOK OUT!"

Yugi turned his head and his jaw dropped. That car was going to hit him! Why couldn't he move?! Was he frozen? Terror struck him in his very core of being and he knew this day would be his last upon earth.

A vice like hand suddenly grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar and swiftly hauled him backward. Yugi landed on the sidewalk as the car sped on by, trailing smoke in its wake. He shook violently as he realized just how close he had come to being killed.

"Are you all right, Yugi?" Yami asked as he knelt down in spirit form beside the boy.

Tears streamed from Yugi's eyes. Normally, he wasn't this shaken up. Not even facing Pegasus, or Dartz had such an impact on him. But this wasn't about Duel Monsters. Although there had been times the monsters were real, he hadn't been truly afraid. So why did a vehicle hold such a dread within him? Why could he not stop shaking?

"If you hadn't pulled me back, Pharaoh, I would have been killed." He trembled.

Yami gently placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders. "Yugi, we've come so far through our years together. Coming that close to death is frightening, but you should never allow it to keep you from moving forward."

Yugi was silent for a moment as he stared at the ground. He still felt shaken, and though he understood what Yami meant, he could not bring himself to just shake it off so easily. He needed time to compose himself, even if that meant retreating temporarily. "Pharaoh, I need time. Please, take over."

Yami's eyes widened as Yugi suddenly switched places with him. There was no choice once the decision was made, and now Yami knelt there on the ground, blinking. He stood up and dusted off the school uniform. At least everything was in check.

He heard shouts and turned to see two of Yugi's classmates running toward him with hysterical looks on their faces. Oh, they must have seen what happened. He waited patiently for the two boys to catch up to him.

"Yugi!" one exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," the other said, "we saw that car nearly cream you!"

Yami blinked as his mind suddenly went blank. Names, names. What were they again? He knew that Yugi spoke about them once or twice. These were the two boys who were officially dubbed the class clowns. Names… Oh yes, now he recalled. "I am fine, Tomoe, Akio. Thank you for asking."

"Uh sure, not a problem," Tomoe said. "We're just glad that you're all right."

"Yeah, some drivers are just idiots," Akio stated with a shake of his head. "Shouldn't be allowed driving privileges."

"Yes, I agree with you," Yami stated as he shifted the backpack to make it more comfortable. How did Yugi manage to carry so much on a daily basis? His eyes caught the time and he cringed. If he was late, Yugi would have a first class fit. He would rather face the wrath of Ra than Yugi's rage.

"And now I must hurry on, or I will be late for my first class. I will see you two later." Yami quickly checked the road, saw it was clear, then ran across it and down the street until he was out of sight.

The two boys stood there, blinking.

"Akio, is it just me, or did Yugi's voice suddenly deepen?" Tomoe asked.

Akio nodded in agreement. Tomoe had not imagined it. Yugi's voice had been deeper. There was only one possible explanation. "Must be puberty."

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Yami made it to Yugi's school just in time. Of course, he did cheat just a bit by using his power to safely teleport to the school when he was out of sight. Thankfully, no one saw him suddenly materializing on school property. But the main thing was, Yugi would not be considered tardy.

Already familiar with Yugi's schedule, Yami had stopped by the locker first, put back what was not needed, and grabbed what was needed and raced off to the first class: Arithmetic. He slid into the assigned desk and put the materials for the class on the desk, then sat there, idly looking around and feeling bored. '_Maybe I should challenge the sensei to a game of Duel Monsters,'_ he thought to himself.

"Hey, Yugi!" Téa greeted one desk behind him.

Yami turned his head and smiled warmly. "Hello, Téa," he greeted in return.

Téa stared at him in silence as it dawned on her. This wasn't Yugi. But why? What happened to Yugi? Was he all right? Did something happen? Oh no, something did. She just knew it. Okay, Téa, take a deep breath. Everything is fine. You'll see.

She lowered her voice to a whisper as she asked, "Yami, what happened to Yugi?"

Yami was not surprised. After a year of coming to know him, Yugi's closest friends automatically knew when the two had switched places. "Yugi was nearly hit by a car today, Téa," Yami began as she became alarmed. He noticed and reassured her at once. "He is all right, but shaken. He asked me to take over until he felt calm enough to step out."

Téa breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Poor Yugi. Some type of bad luck was always happening to him. Yet at the same time, good luck had befallen him too. Could it be the two sides were fighting for him?

More students filed into the class room, including Tristan and Joey. They would meet up with Bakura, Duke, and Seto later at another class. Once again, Yami had to relate the incident to Joey and Tristan, and both swore that next time they would walk with Yugi to school.

"Man, Yugi's always getting himself into trouble some way or another," Tristan stated as he took his place next to Yami.

"That's why he needs us, Tristan," Joey declared. "To be there for him!"

Yami smiled as the bell rang. It was great that Yugi had such caring friends. Friends who used to ignore or bully him. He cracked his knuckles as the sensei walked in to start class. Now it was the time to show Yugi just how much he had paid attention through the puzzle. After silently studying and paying attention for several months, this would be a piece of cake.

Hrm. He would still rather play Duel Monsters…..

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A/N: I apologize if this chapter seems too fast, or too choppy. I am also not entirely positive on the school schedule at Domino High, so I am basing it off how I think it is. I am also aware that Yugi might not eat cereal, but am not entirely positive on this. Characters may or may not be in character as I write this story out. I thank you for taking the time to read this. Once again, this fanfic will not have yaoi or yuri.

Thank you, Rogue Ronin for the title.

Firestorm


	2. Chapter 2

Open Secrets

Chapter 2.

A/N: I solemnly apologize for not updating as quickly as possible. I wish to thank those who have reviewed, and to those who caught my typos.

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Yami was decidedly bored. The lessons of History, Arithmetic, Languages, Music, Art, and more had once fascinated him over five millennia ago. He had learned with a bit of interest that some of the lessons had changed since he had last studied them himself, but the lessons did not have the heart to pull him in. In fact, many times the writers of these lessons seemed to put in too many examples in between the lessons thus offering confusion.

He looked down upon the Geography book with an arched eyebrow of slight interest. It seemed to him that much had changed. Countries he once knew had been renamed. Climates had changed from moderate to warm and arid. Certain animals had gone extinct and new ones had risen.

A particular case he learned in Yugi's World Geography class was of the orographic effect, which was based on moist air above the ocean meeting a mountain before it was required to rise and cool, thus initiating condensation.

On and on it seemed the teacher droned, pointing toward maps and a PowerPoint slide. Around him, students wrote notes, read along, or just allowed their attention to wander elsewhere. The boredom was thickening. How on earth could Yugi stand this class?

But then as if a miracle from Ra had shone down upon him the bell rang and quickly the students gathered their belongings.

"Don't forget to review the climates for Spain, Egypt, Russia, and South America! It will be on the test next Thursday!" the teacher called out after the leaving students.

"Whoohoo! Am I glad to be outta there!" Joey exclaimed as he threw his arms up as the quad of friends made their way down the hall.

"Joey, you're glad to be out of any class!" Tristan commented.

"You got it!" Joey agreed. "School is just boring."

For once Yami had to agree.

"Oh come on, Joey. It would probably be more interesting if you took the time to actually learn," Téa said.

"Whatever."

"Well if it isn't the dorks," a cool and calculating voice interrupted their conversation. Looking up they came face to face with Seto Kaiba. Not exactly on good terms with Kaiba, Yami did his best not to challenge him to a duel to shut his ego up. If such a thing were possible.

"Kaiba, don't you have anything better to do than stand around calling us names?" Joey demanded as his fists clenched.

"Well, I could be defeating you in another rematch, Wheeler, but I think I've embarrassed you enough," Seto stated coldly.

This insult was enough to flare the anger within Joey. His eyes hardened and his adrenaline rose as he was about to make Seto eat those words. "What was that?!" Before he could charge at the president of Kaiba Corp, Téa and Tristan held him back. "Let me at him!" he demanded as he strained himself.

"Cool it, Joey!" Tristan ordered as he held his friend back.

"This isn't the time!" Téa agreed.

Seto only snorted as he looked at Yami. Perhaps it was blindness or ignorance, but Seto was not one to believe that Yami was an ancient pharaoh no matter how many times he was told. The voice alternation did nothing to make him see the light so to speak.

"Yugi, in one week I will be testing out a new duel system at Kaiba corp. If you're interested, I'll send someone by to bring you there."

"Heh, sounds interesting, Kaiba," Yami stated as the eagerness for the challenge arose within him. "Is this a challenge?"

"Oh, it's more than a challenge, Yugi," Seto said as he narrowed his eyes. "I'll finally be able to beat you and reclaim my title as King of Games."

"We'll see," Yami said.

"That we will. See you geeks later."

"Man, I really hate that guy," Joey fumed as they watched Seto walk down the hall. "He thinks he's all that, doesn't he?"

"Kind of sounds like you, Joey," Tristan said with a tease.

"Ah, shut up."

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Bakura looked up the moment Yugi, Tristan, Téa, and Joey entered the classroom of Language Arts. He smiled and waved at them, inviting them over. "I almost thought none of you were going to make it to class," he confessed.

"We had to drag Joey," Tristan said with a huff as he took a seat. "Hey, is that a new duel monster I see there?"

"Why yes," Bakura said. "This is called the Demon of Darkness card. While it is a monster card, it has a special ability. When your opponent initiates an attack, this card summons darkness to hide it from your opponent."

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Joey declared as he picked up the card to look at it. He studied the picture upon the face and looked awed. The monster on the card had a dragon like body with a horned head, and a long spiked tail. Wings like that of a dragon were half folded forward, and a large red sword was held in one hand. Red eyes gleamed from a humanoid face. The attack points were 2500. Defense points were 1000.

"I gotta get my hands on this!" Joey said at last.

"Ah, maybe later, Joey," Bakura said as he took his card back. He began to put his deck away as the teacher walked in.

Joey groaned and took his seat behind Yugi, or rather behind Yami, and took out his textbook along with the rest of the class. He'd have to duel Bakura sometime. Unless he could find another card of the Demon of Darkness.

Yami was outwardly silent, but he tried to reach Yugi through their telepathy they shared. _'Yugi, are you all right now? Yugi?'_

But Yugi did not answer, and Yami was wondering how much more time he would need. He sighed as he opened the text book to the page the teacher instructed. If time was what Yugi needed, Yami would give that to him. But if he did not hear from Yugi by the time they got home, Yami would go to his soul room directly.

Class began and Yami soon found himself reading a fairy tale along with the rest of the class. How interesting to say the least. For it was a fairy tale involving Egyptian children and their quest to seek out a wise being who turned out to be none other than a snake.

As the class read, Tristan was aware of slight snoring and he looked toward the source. Joey was asleep again. That figured. He took out a rubber band and flicked it at the sleeping teenager.

Joey sat up with a start, his eyes wide. "I'm awake!" he said loudly. When he realized he had the attention of the entire class, his face turned red and he slunk in his seat.

"That's good to know, Mr. Wheeler," the teacher said curtly. "Try not shout it out next time, hm?"

"Ah, sure thing, Mrs. Banaza," Joey said as he still felt embarrassed. The teacher only nodded and continued instructing the class. Joey shot Tristan a dirty look as his friend only shrugged helplessly with a smile. One of these days…

"Now, since we've finished reading this story together, I want you to take out a piece of paper and write your thoughts about it," Mrs. Banaza instructed. "What was the theme of this story? Who are the main characters? Who are the antagonists? Who are the protagonists? List any side characters. And above all else, critique the story."

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'Heh, this sounds simple enough,' Yami thought to himself. Though it felt strange to be participating in Yugi's school work. Still, they were a part of one another, and always sharing or doing the work of each other made them feel close, like brothers in a way; despite the fact that Yami really was a five thousand year old spirit.

The class silently began to work at their assignment given to them as the teacher waited at her desk. To busy herself, she began to plan the next assignment. Perhaps this assignment she could give out for homework as it would be fitting considering the amount of time left in the classroom.

As he worked, a darkness fell over Bakura. The spirit of the Millennium Ring had noticed the gold jewelry upon his host's teacher and he was more than determined to steal it from her, by force if necessary. But he felt aggravated. Looking to his left, the spirit growled with contempt. Damn that Pharaoh. No matter. He would get what he wanted, even if he had to use the Shadow Realm to get it.

Bakura suddenly blinked as he rubbed his forehead. That was weird. Had he fallen asleep? He didn't think so, but it felt like he had spaced out for a bit. He hated having these episodes where one minute he was conscious of his surroundings, and then the next wondering what had happened a few minutes before. But for now, he could not think about it as he had an assignment to finish before class was over.

He shrugged it off for the meantime and got back to work.

Téa was glad when she finally finished. In her opinion, the story had been rather boring and seemed a bit clichéd. She snorted to herself. It was always the same. Someone wanted power and sought someone out to give them power. And the children in the story were no exception. They had purposely sought out the wise snake to receive gifts of either immortality or strength, or some other desire. It was enough to make her want to hurl.

She sighed and blew her bangs upward as she stared at Yami's back. She could not help but continue to feel bad for Yugi. In fact this reminded her of the time when he had lost his will to duel after losing to Kaiba.

What people didn't seem to realize was that Yugi was not upset about the loss. He was upset because the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle had almost killed Kaiba in order to rescue Yugi's grandfather. But then Kaiba set himself up for it right? He knew Yugi wouldn't have the guts to make a move like that. In Téa's eyes Kaiba played dirty.

But now things were better between Yugi and Yami. They had gotten closer, and they had all accepted Yami despite his ways. Trusting had been hard to give Yami, but he had earned it. Truly he did care about others, and he was fiercely protective of Yugi.

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'And they told us the Egyptians in ancient times were cruel slave masters,' Téa thought to herself. Perhaps there had been some cruel humans back then, but Yami and the people who loved and adored him back then did not seem to be. At least she didn't think so.

Téa returned her attention back to her paper and glowered. She would certainly love to get this thing off her desk.

Joey finished his own paper with a half low moan. He hated anything to do with school, or learning basically. Unless it was Duel Monsters. He didn't see the point in learning something that you would soon forget in a few years any how. What was the point? And why were they reading little kids' stories? Was it because that now as adults they could analyze it better? Or did the teacher simply want them to reconnect with their childhood?

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'Heh, that's over and done with,' Joey thought with firmness. _'Time to move on. I guess some people don't want to see that happen though.'_

Unfortunately for them, Joey Wheeler had no intention of staying a kid, even mentally. Sure he loved to duel. Sure he knew that younger kids dueled as well. But the dueling he did wasn't meant to be a kid's game. There had been dangers he had nearly succumbed prey to, traps he had nearly fallen into. He had been scared for his life and that of his friends. He had been scared for his sister Serenity. He had felt trapped and troubled, wishing he could be the best duelist so he could save them. Why? Because he cared. And he wasn't ashamed of that.

Tristan was proud of what he wrote on paper. He had always considered himself to be a very good writer at analyzing fictional stories he had read. Though he had not told any of the others there were times he preferred to read before going to sleep for the night. And if he had trouble sleeping, he would write down his own review concerning whatever book he read. So far underneath his bed he had three notebooks full of reviews.

He supposed he should share them with his friends, but he felt this was one private thing he needed for himself. He and the others shared everything, even duel cards once in a while. Sharing was great, but even Tristan felt too much sharing was ridiculous.

Or was it fear? No, it could not be fear. Tristan had proved he was afraid of nothing. He had risked his life right there along with Joey, Téa, Duke, Kaiba, Yugi, Mokuba, Serenity, Mai, and several others. So why should he be afraid to show his written reviews?

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'I'm not afraid. They're just private,' he told himself_. 'And I do not want to share them now. Maybe later.'_

Tristan looked back down at his paper and read over what he had written so far. So far it was perfect. He was sure to get an A on this. Wouldn't the teacher be thrilled? This had been their first actual review of a fictional story in class, and most of their assignments had been about learning how a story was put together in terms of grammar and style. Sure they had answered questions at the back of their textbook "Reading For A Brighter Future", and sure they had taken quizzes and tests on what they had read.

But this was the first time Tristan would be able to show he could write an assessment on a story he had spent twenty minutes reading. It felt good to be this accomplished in skill. And as he waited for the teacher to begin collecting the papers, the all knowing smile would not leave off his face.

Yami glanced toward Tristan and frowned. He had seen that look on Joey's face too many times. It was good to believe in yourself, but being overconfident put even the best player at risk. And Yami hoped that Tristan would prove him wrong. Only time would tell. For now Yami had more important matters to get to the bottom of. When would Yugi signify that he was all right? Should Yami go after him? Or should he give him more time like he originally planned? Frustration and uncertainty surrounded Yami like chains around a misunderstood beast destined and determined to break loose.


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